It was in connection with a campaign meeting in Pennsylvania that Donald Trump was shot in the ear while giving a speech. The shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was lying on a nearby roof equipped with his father’s rifle, died at the scene after being shot.
But before the 20-year-old could fire his weapon, he was seen by several onlookers, who warned security guards that someone was crawling around on the roof.
Trump: “I would have waited”
Now Trump says that, despite the warnings from his supporters, he was not told anything about what was going on before he went up to the podium, writes Reuters.
– Nobody mentioned it, nobody said it was a problem. I would have waited 15, they could have said let’s wait 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 5 minutes. Nobody said anything, Trump said in an interview with Fox News.
He continues:
– I think it was a mistake. How did anyone get on that roof? And why wasn’t he reported?
Have previously asked for increased protection
Top U.S. intelligence officials have repeatedly rejected requests from Trump’s security team for more manpower and equipment during events, according to the Washington Post. This with reference to a lack of resources.
But a Secret Service spokesman, Anthony Guglielmi, has previously denied allegations that Trump has been denied increased security resources.
– In some cases where specific Secret Service specialized units or resources were not provided, the agency made changes to ensure the security of the protected person, Guglielmi writes in an email to Reuters.
He adds:
– This may include using state or local partners to provide specialized functions or otherwise identify options to reduce public exposure of the person to be protected.